Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers

Directed by Don Siegel, Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers follows two hitmen (Lee Marvin’s Charlie and Clu Gulager’s Lee) as they delve into the criminal past of their latest target (John Cassavetes’ Johnny) after learning he stole $1 million from a feared mob boss (Ronald Reagan’s Jack). There’s little doubt, ultimately, that Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers improves substantially as it progresses, as the movie, which kicks off with a terrific and impressively brutal opening stretch, suffers from an erratically-paced first half that stresses the rather melodramatic exploits of Cassavetes’ character – with the less-than-engrossing vibe allayed by the above-average efforts of a uniformly compelling roster of performers. (Periphery players like Angie Dickinson and Ronald Reagan are fantastic here, to be sure, yet it remains clear that Marvin and Gulager’s often electrifying work remains an obvious highlight.) It’s clear, then, that the picture’s shift from watchable to engrossing is triggered by an increasingly captivating midsection, as Siegel has packed this portion of the proceedings with a series of impressively engaging and tense set-pieces (including an exciting heist sequence and an appropriately brutal climax) – which does, in the end, cement Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers‘ place as a mostly satisfying adaptation that fares better than one might’ve initially anticipated.

*** out of ****